Shoes are often worn by people as a fashionable item. Because most shoes do not have interchangeable decorative aspects, it is necessary to purchase a multitude of shoes simply to have the desired number of fashionable looks. Often times, this includes different styles of shoes and shoes that may be less comfortable than others. Although some shoes have heels that are interchangeable, these heels only change the type of heel, for example from a two inch heel to a four inch heel. This does not change the decorative aspects of the shoe and the interchange is also cumbersome and difficult to do in many cases. In addition, the complicated components included in many of these devices and systems may be expensive and require additional time to produce and manufacture.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/647,980 by Anderson discloses a high-heeled shoe that utilizes exchangeable high-heels. A biased, pivoting latch is formed into the sole of the shoe at the heel portion of the sole. A heel stem is fixedly attached to the shoe and extends from the sole terminating in a tip. The device, especially the hinge and latch design for engaging the heel cover to the heel stem, is complicated and does not allow a user to slide a heel cover off and on. Furthermore, the attachment location is through the bottom of the shoe not the heel post.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,971,373 to Epping discloses a support sleeve for high heels on ladies' shoes with a sleeve body to accommodate a heel. The sleeve body has a substantially larger base than the base of the heel. The sleeve body is held in place using a system of ribs or fins and a rigid plate. The system is complicated and requires an in depth knowledge of the system in order to change the heel.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,915,836 to McDonough discloses a covering for high heels of ladies shoes. The covering is supplied as a separate unit, to be slipped, clipped or otherwise attached to the high heels of ladies' shoes. This device has only color differences, not decorative and/or ornamental differences. The device only fits over existing heels and is meant to be used to cover existing damaged, scuffed, or otherwise unsightly heels with a new covering to put the shoe in a near original appearance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,675,916 to Lewis discloses a shoe with an interchangeable heel. The heel can be interchangeably attached to the heel portion of the outside of the shoe by extending a large bolt through an opening on the rear portion of the outsole. In this device, the entire heel is interchangeable, not just an accessory, decoration, or other part of the heel. The system, like the system in the Epping reference, is complicated and requires an in depth knowledge of the system in order to change the heel. Further, the heel is not a permanent part of the shoe, which creates a less stable and less secure shoe.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,957,462 to Kress discloses an improved ratchet wrench having a ratchet wheel and a pawl with two teeth arranged so that when forces transmitted from the body member of the wrench through the pawl to the ratchet wheel may be substantially equally divided when the parts of the wrench are being subjected to strains corresponding with a normal working load. In addition, the ratchet wrench has a pawl that is shiftable from one position to another to reverse the wrench. As part of the ratchet wrench system, a socket is used which is engaged with the wrench via a ball and spring system. Although this ball and spring system has been used in wrench and socket systems, it has not been used as a portion of a shoe and has more specifically not been used to engage attachments or decorative features to shoes or heels of shoes.
The devices and systems described above, and other devices and systems that may be known in the art generally suffer from the same deficiency, i.e., the devices and systems do not have a shoe with a permanent or fixed heel or a detachable heel that allows for quick and easy transition of accessories, decorative aspects, or other parts that may be used in connection with the heel of a shoe. This means that if a person wants the features of the heel, such as the decorative aspects, to be changed, the heel must be removed entirely or a new shoe must be used. Removal of the entire heel takes time, knowledge of the device, and can cause additional wear to the shoe and specifically to the shoe heel and/or shoe post. The wear to the shoe can compromise the integrity and safety of the shoe. In addition, the present invention can be used in combination with the devices and systems described above. For example, and without limitation, the heel may be interchangeable, but once positioned on the shoe, the aspects of the present invention may be utilized to allow a person to add, remove, or otherwise change the accessories, decorations, or parts of the heel. Thus, the prior art fails to disclose ornamental or decorative heel covers such as those described by the present invention and the prior art further fails to disclose the method of attaching the heel covers described by the present invention.